Disney Brings Pixie Dust, Grit To Osceola

OPINION - My word

We Were Warned, But How Could We Imagine Changes?

September 29, 1991|By Frank Attkisson, Special To The Sentinel

It was hard to grasp the news reports of 25 years ago. Items like, Interstate 4 needing to be six or even eight lanes someday. The hangar at McCoy Airport would be replaced someday since the area would need more airlines than just Eastern, Republic and Southern (where are they now?) Cypress Gardens was a mainstay of tourism, and we couldn't fathom anything bigger.

In fairness to Walt Disney World, nobody can say that we weren't warned of the coming changes. Looking back, the changes are a mixture of positives and negatives. We overbuilt motel rooms, and the economy starved in the middle '70s. EPCOT came and we had more construction jobs than ever in the '80. Fortunes have been made by some in the tourist industry, while many are underemployed in jobs that support tourism. Local governments bemoan the problems of growth. However, with our expanding tax base, we have healthy revenue increases each year.

I could do without the traffic and crowds, but opportunities have been made available to me in many ways. The dollars that have been pumped into the local economy were unimaginable. Disney was the magnet, and now we have Hollywood East. It's no longer McCoy, but Orlando International Airport.

I still can't get used to tourists going swimming in the winter, just because it's Florida. However, if they really enjoy doing that . . . shouldn't we hand them a towel?